How to make contractions come naturally
La date of delivery it approaches and yet everything is silent and there are no contractions or suspicious movements. At the end of pregnancy, many begin to feel tired, want to see their baby and not have to feel so fatigued anymore.
A study by Jonathan Schaffir of Ohio State University College showed that more than half of pregnant women use non-pharmacological methods to get contractions. A fact that should not be underestimated because some of these natural methods can have undesirable consequences.
First of all it is good to wait 39 weeks before you can start thinking about how to get the contractions, secondly it is better to know in detail the natural methods which are most frequently used to stimulate contractions.
MammAnsia Video: How to Start Labor
In this funny video MammAnsia lists the natural methods to facilitate the onset of labor and cause contractions.
Nipple stimulation
Prolonged stimulation of the nipple stimulates the pituitary gland to release oxytocin, the hormone that produces contractions. A study of 719 women who reached 37 weeks of pregnancy found that 40% of those who had stimulated their nipples for 1-3 hours a day had given birth within three days, compared with 6% of those who had not used this method. This is not an uncomplicated technique: it could overstimulate the uterus and cause the contractions to come too strong and too close together.
Sexual intercourse
The seminal fluid contains natural prostaglandins which soften the uterine cervix and the oxytocin produced in the female body promotes the onset of labor. However, the studies conducted on this topic have not come to unambiguous conclusions. Regardless of the actual effectiveness of this method, the expert explains that if a woman has a low risk of premature birth and does not have placenta previa, she can safely have sex.
Castor oil
Midwives used to recommend drinking to induce contractions castor oil with the idea that it could stimulate the smooth muscles of the bowels, promote the release of prostaglandins and promote contractions. Again the conclusions of the scientific studies are conflicting. Two studies showed that full-term women who drank castor oil were more likely to go into labor within 24 hours. Be careful though, castor oil can cause dehydration, diarrhea and nausea.
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Some midwives suggest it more commonly evening primrose oil and blue cohosh to speed up labor. However, each herb also has side effects.
Evening primrose oil appears to soften the cervix and prepare it for labor, but studies have shown that it may increase the risk of complications during childbirth and extend the duration of labor.
Il black and blue cohosh They have been used to treat menstrual disorders for centuries but some research has shown that blue cohosh has dangerous side effects in pregnancy, so it should be avoided.
Returning to the study conducted by Schaffir, 43% of the respondents did physical exercise at the end of pregnancy in hopes of speeding up the contractions.
Eating, drinking, resting and enjoying the last days of pregnancy as much as possible is the best way to experience this period, and if you want to do some sport, do it for yourself because no studies have shown that it can accelerate labor.
concludes the expert.
